Western Conference semifinals -- Calling Tony Parker and Mike Bibby

The San Antonio Spurs played very much like I thought they would Sunday afternoon against the Lakers, who played just as I thought they might.

The Spurs, listless and flat, had no leadership from the two men who have torched the Lakers in recent years.

Tim Duncan and Tony Parker shot poorly and almost seemed disinterested in the game that most thought the Lakers would win.

Some spectators may be shocked by the relative ease with which the Lakers cruised past the Spurs in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals. Don't be.

The Spurs are a savvy and playoff tested team, one who can win on the road as they have proven. The crowd at Staples Center on Sunday was simply not going to allow the Lakers to lose and go down three games to none, the most daunting of playoff deficits.

Game 4 isn't entirely critical to the Spurs either, although it is important. Don't forget, the Spurs lost game four last year, went back to San Antonio won game five, and then flew back to LA to blitz the Lakers in game 6.

When you have a champion like the Los Angeles Lakers down, history says keep them there because if the Lakers come out and win Game 4, the pressure moves squarely to the shoulders of the Spurs. It then becomes a three-game series with aging superstars in purple and gold that much closer to fulfilling a career dream-winning a championship.

If there is anything the Spurs don't want to do its giving the Lakers any kind of hope that they can win the series. A tiny glimmer of hope was restored with a Lakers win on Sunday, but the Spurs can close the door to that ray of hope with a win Tuesday night in LA.

On the other hand, Sacramento, a team whose psyche is nearly comparable to the Boston Red Sox, missed a golden opportunity to take a 2-0 lead heading back to ARCO arena for the next two games.

Instead, the Timberwolves used a 16-1 run to close out the game tying the series at a game a piece. Now, the Kings have themselves a series.

I still believe the Kings are the better team and will win the series, but they could have done it in four or five games almost certainly had they won on Saturday night in Minnesota. Now, they are staring a possible seven game series right in the face and everyone -- especially the Kings themselves -- know their history in Game 7's.

If Sacramento is to avoid the fate of a Game 7 with the Timberwolves, Mike Bibby will have to perform much better than he did in Game 2. The Bibby of game one needs to step onto the floor in each game if the Kings expect to win this series.

Bibby is the Kings best player. Simply put, Sacramento cannot win if Bibby doesn't score. No one else on the Kings can that be said about. Peja Stojakovic can't create his own shot and doesn't have the ball handling skills to control tempo like Bibby. Chris Webber, ravaged by time and injuries, is relegated to more of a role player and emotional leader.

Bibby has the mental and physical tools to take the Kings to the next level, but one has to wonder which Bibby will show up.

Will it be the Bibby of 2002 who lit up Derek Fisher leading the Kings one game away from the NBA Finals, or will it be the Bibby who was outplayed by Steve Nash in last years Western Conference Semi's?

We have seen each of these two Bibby's in the first two games of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Timberwolves, but which one will show up in game 3?

The answer to this question will provide the answer to the more important question of who will win this series.